Alsace Tarte Flambée (Flammekueche)

You don't need to be an experienced chef to recreate this dish. It's perfect for beginners who are eager to explore new flavours and techniques.

Flammkuchen replicates a sort of pizza, featuring a thin and crispy dough as the foundation, generously topped with smoky bacon, melted Emmental cheese, and caramelized onions.

If you want to impress, I recommend serving it alongside a wine spritz and salad, offering a burst of freshness that beautifully balances the richness of the dish.

Tarte Flambée

Ingredients

For the dough:

250g plain flour
50ml extra virgin olive oil

For the topping:

100g crème fraîche
50g full-fat Greek yogurt
20g butter
180g dry-cured smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
2 onions, finely sliced
50g emmental, grated
Handful thyme, leaves picked
Grating nutmeg

For the salad:

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp caster sugar
1 shallot, very finely chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
80g baby spinach
80g rocket
Small bunch chives, cut into 2cm lengths
2 tbsp mixed seeds
2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
10 red and yellow tomatoes, halved

For the Alsatian wine spritzer:

160ml gin
100ml Alsace gewürztraminer
60ml lemon juice
60ml golden syrup
8 sprigs thyme
1 lemon, sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas mark 6. Place a pizza stone or a heavy-based baking tray into the oven to heat up. Lay out a large sheet of baking parchment.
To make the dough, put the flour and ½ tsp sea salt into a bowl. Mix in the extra virgin olive oil and 125ml water and knead the dough into a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
For the topping, combine the crème fraîche and yogurt, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the bacon and cook for a minute or two, breaking it apart with a spoon. Add the onions and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the heat.
Using a little flour, roll out the dough to a large rectangle, about 2mm thick. Cut into 4 smaller rectangles and spread them out a little.
Top each rectangle with the creamy mix and spread out, leaving a 1cm border of dough. Top with the bacon and onion mix and sprinkle over the cheese.
Slide the tarts, keeping them on the baking parchment, onto the pizza stone or baking tray and bake for about 10- 12 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and golden. You may find it easier to cook two at a time.
Remove the tarts from the oven and place onto a chopping board. Sprinkle with the thyme and nutmeg.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, white wine vinegar, sugar, shallot and olive oil to make the salad dressing. Season to taste.
Put the spinach, rocket and chives into a serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Top with the seeds, flaked almonds and tomatoes.
To make the Alsatian wine spritzer, put the liquids into a jug and stir until the syrup is totally dissolved. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, pour over the liquid and shake (you may need to do this in two batches).
Prepare 4 glasses with the thyme, the lemon slices and some ice, then pour over the spritzer. Serve the tarte flambée along with the salad and the spritzers.